The Importance of Effective Communication To Keep Our Sport Alive
Communication is an important tool in any relationship, and this can even more important in racing, as the car and driver being in sync can allow them both to perform at their best.
As an extension of this, a drag-and-drive participant needs good communication with their co-pilot, as changing weather and track conditions, the car performing at its best, and keeping tabs on the competition is hard enough on just a single day or a single track.
Adding hundreds of street miles, and multiple tracks, increases this relationship importance tenfold.
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Lately, it seems to me that communication should be happening more between enthusiasts and their race track of choice (in some cases, multiple race tracks). Social media has proven itself to be a great tool when it comes to effective communication between parties.
Whether they are within reasonable distance of each other, or thousands of miles away, communication on social media can be the thing that helps a fellow enthusiast with a next modification, and their next track outing, or just a second opinion.
However, the growing opinion is that social media can be a venting ground, and although everyone is entitled to their opinion, some of them can have dire consequences.
I have read way too many posts about people bashing a race track, an event, or a series, where the person making the post has either never been to it, or hasn’t been to it in several years. It might seem to be harmless to someone that frequents the event or track, but to an uninformed or casual observer, these opinions can be taken as factual without digging into them further.
There is almost too much information out there, with our busy lives these days, some people will not dig into statements on social media to find out if they are actually true.
Why does all this matter? Because if people give the impression that a race track isn’t worth the effort, time, or money to attend, it can lead to the race track having fewer racers and spectators, fewer events, and in a worst case scenario, being closed or sold to alternative development of the land.
Although many may not agree with me, basic communication in the form of an email, a phone call, or even a text directly to a race track, an event promoter or a series director can be met with a better resolution, versus the internet when you can get 20 different answers to a simple question, and be left more confused than before you asked the question.
Race tracks, racing series, and even standalone events have to turn a profit to stay in business. That means putting out a product that customers want, and listening to the customers. But if they have open lines of communication and you choose to not use them, you are part of the problem if you’re unhappy with your experiences.
In attending and working racing events for almost 40 years, I’ve learned one thing: a lot of racers talk to other racers more than they will talk with track managers and employees. It could explain why sometimes, the best-attended events are created, promoted and/or managed by racers.
Racers have the knowledge some track managers don’t, because they talk with fellow competitors. They see things from a different perspective. They make changes to keep fellow competitors happy, and therefore, coming back time and time again.
So, how can we make things better? It’s a two-way street. Instead of forming your opinion of a track, event or series based solely on the internet and social media, go directly to the source, especially if they have shown to communicate well with customers. You might learn something new that moves you to action, and can help another as we all try to enjoy our time as an enthusiast in this fast-paced world.
If we want our sport to survive, have better events and be embraced by their communities, then we should do our part to help. If you love the sport, show it.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com